


Trust

by mimiwrites2000



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Ch126, F/M, I'm nervous, but excited, spoilers for chapter 126, this is my first ff on AO3
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-16
Updated: 2020-04-16
Packaged: 2021-03-01 18:21:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,094
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23681503
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mimiwrites2000/pseuds/mimiwrites2000
Summary: A one shot about Armin and Annie finally having a moment after they met in chapter 126*spoilers for chapter 126
Relationships: Armin Arlert/Annie Leonhart, Mikasa Ackerman/Eren Yeager
Comments: 6
Kudos: 105





	Trust

**Author's Note:**

> I'm gonna start posting my fanfictions, here on AO3, hope you enjoy this one!  
> (btw I'm on tumblr too, I post fanarts there as well as fanfictions)

They had to set up a camp, as the plan would start tomorrow, or at least that was what they wished, if there was anything left from the world by then anyway.

It was a relief for Armin and the rest of the squad to see Commander Hanji and Captain Levi alive and breathing, with all the disastrous shit they went through, seeing them again brought comfort to all of them, even though captain Levi was all patched up and it was a miracle how he’s still alive, and the Commander looked… fine, but Armin saw that face before, it was the same expression they showed when they were on the top of wall Maria, when Armin had just been revived and woke up, after they lost Erwin and myriad number of soldiers.

All in one blow.

But Armin thought that they had no time to get emotional, just like the day in Trost, when he delivered the news that Eren and the rest of his squad were dead, he could never forget the look in Mikasa’s eyes, when she told him it’s not the time to get emotional, they had a war to fight, a war to win.

But it was kind of tough for Armin to compress his emotions with Annie around them -now free from the crystal, she was hanging around him like they were old pals who met accidently at a camping site at summer holiday, as if he hadn’t spent the past four years sneaking with permission from Hitch into the basement and sit there for hours, talking and ranting about everything, spending sleepless nights with nothing but the torch light and the freezing air in the basement, watching her floating in what looked like clear ice, crystal so pure like a diamond.

And now here she was, sitting with them around the camp fire as they got themselves something to eat, where they all sat, adversaries with friends, having dinner together for the first time under the starry night.

It was absurd, Armin thought, but it was what should have been done, his rational side told him that they could never take on Eren alone, and no matter how advanced Marley was, they didn’t have a chance either, basically there was no other option than combining their forces and work together, even if it was just this one time.

It was late at night, several hours after they ate, almost midnight, sleep bags have been laid, and it was silent, the crickets’ clicking piercing the atmosphere, cutting through the crisp air.

Armin curled in his sleeping bag, it was cold, freezing cold, but underneath the extra blanket – thanks to Mikasa for suggesting packing those- he felt warm. He was covered from head to toes, only eyes and nose out and he breathed in the night’s air.

He didn’t know if others were sleeping, but for him, sleep sounded like a luxury he couldn’t afford, and the other person he knew for sure wasn’t asleep was Mikasa, there was no way she could be sleeping when in the next few hours she’d raise her blade in Eren’s face, Armin didn’t feel easy about it either, but what could they do? Let him go on with his genocide plan and clap for his finally granted freedom? They had to stop him, or die trying to.

Armin sighed, his breath turning into a marginal cloud of mist, he saw it elevating and tracked it with his eyes, then he heard the shuffling of someone leaving their sleeping bag, and saw Annie standing up, and walking towards the woods.

His instincts told him to launch after her, to make sure she doesn’t make an escape, they would need her titan power in the plan, and they couldn’t do without her; they were in desperate need for as much power they could garner.

He let her go and decided to trust her, but his eyes followed her, she didn’t go far anyway; just when she passed the closest tree, she slide down and sat on the dirt, her back to the camp, facing the darkness of the forest.

He didn’t avert his gaze from her, even though something in him assured him that she wouldn’t flee. He thought how if he was watching other girls like this, he would be a creep, a pervert, but with Annie, it didn’t feel creepy at all, it felt normal, and in fact; he was used to it, just sit and watch her, like that, for hours, he had been doing it for four years.

But this time if he spoke she could hear him, and if he tried to touch her, there would be no barrier between him and her, well it’s not like she’d just let him poke at her face, or pat her head, or feeling the strands of her golden locks between his fingers, or… kiss her.

Armin shivered at the thought, and his heart sped up in his chest, pumping blood into his veins and _oofff_ when did it get hot?

Armin unintentionally licked his lips, he had fantasized of kissing Annie, how her lips would feel against his, he thought that they would be soft and warm, she would warp her hand around his neck and step on the tip of her toes, her bangs brushing against his cheeks, then she would whisper his name and-

Armin blushed at his own thoughts and shrank on himself in embarrassment even though no one could see him or hear what was going on inside his head, _thankfully_.

He had many restless night, narrating a scenario after the other of how he would react when Annie would finally get out the crystal, one of them was wrapping her with his arms, and she would be shivering from the cold, the other was giving her the kiss of life as she came out of the crystal breathless, he even had one fantasy that she would break out her crystal, kiss him, and then she would just harden herself into the crystal again.

Man, his daydreaming went wild sometimes.

But all this time his mind kept coming up with these fairy tales happily-ever-after stories went straight into trash, because how in hell could he had made a scenario where the walls collapsed, Eren was the villain, and he had accidentally met Annie while she was snarfing a pie down? Four years worth of pie?

Not in his wildest dream, nope.

But putting all that to the side, there she was, a few feet from him, and all the I’m your knight in shining armor fantasies coward into the shadow, and now that this was actually happening in real life, he realized how absurd and out of the world these fantasies were, how in hell would Annie just accept his opened arms? Hell, she might punch the shit out of him, probably hang him on a branch with only his underwear on, and let him freeze until dawn break.

So, Armin peeled off the blanket, took a deep breath that froze his lungs, clutched the blanket in one hand, then took steady steps towards Annie.

Armin stood right beside Annie, he could see her profile, and she didn’t even acknowledge him standing there, did she just ignore him? Or did she candidly not notice his presence? Which was weird compared to Annie’s sharp senses.

Armin took the few steps that separated them, and as gently as he could, draped the blanket on Annie’s shoulders, which was, after he had already done it, a bad choice.

Annie flinched at the feeling of something on her back, she collected sand with her hand and throw it at whatever was behind her, this could get her some time until she was on guard and took her stance-

 _Oh_.

“You.” She breathed, her heart racing in her chest from the adrenaline rush, and she felt the cold air penetrating her lungs with every short, ragged breath she took, then she let out a long shuddered exhale as she slanted against the tree’s trunk, closing her eyes, while Armin was spitting dirt and his eyes tearing to weed it out.

_It’s just him, Armin._

She had no idea for how long he had been standing there, but she knew that she almost kicked the shit out of him. Annie focused on her breathing, taking bug gulps of air, then letting it out slowly, concentrating, ignoring the baffled Armin who stood there after the tears and the coughing ceased.

Armin stood there ignorant to what he was supposed to do, the blanket was on the ground beside Annie, should he just leave it there and get back to his warm sleeping back and act like nothing ever happened, or should he try again, or maybe he should just keep standing still and make more of an idiot of himself?

The third option is what he went along with.

He waited for Annie, to do or say anything, and he hoped she’d do it soon before he turned into an ice statue.

Annie, without opening her eyes, reached for the blanket, wrapped it around herself and nuzzled her face into it, “Thanks.” She said, her voice muffled by the blanket over her mouth.

“Y-yeah, sure, I thought that it was really cold out h-here, you know, so I thought you’d use a blanket, that hoodie w-won’t be enough.” Armin swallowed, “not that I can decide that on your behalf, you know, who am I to say?”

Annie kept her eyes closed.

Armin felt like an idiot.

He slapped his forehead, sighed a very I’m-such-an-idiot sigh, and turned around before he embarrassed himself more than he already did.

“Armin.”

He halted in his tracks, thought that he had imagined that call, but when he turned his head to look at Annie, she was already observing him, with that bored expression of hers.

“You c-called?” Armin stuttered, and he blamed the cold, and to demonstrate, he hugged himself and rubbed his arms up and down his biceps, _cold, you know?_

“I did.”

“Oh.”

A beat of silence.

Armin waited patiently for whatever was waiting for him, but his pessimistic side screamed that she’s going to tell him to go fuck himself and never show his face ever again.

“Do you, um, have a moment?” Annie said slowly, stopping mid-sentence, contemplating whether she should keep going or not, her hesitant tone was an enough boost for Armin to let out a “Yeah sure, what is it?” in one go; seeing that Annie was nervous too made this, somehow, easier for him.

Armin sat crossed legged in front of Annie, who had her knees hugged to her chest, her face half covered in the blanket, her hair messy and her eyes looked tired even in this darkness. He didn’t prompt her to start, he sat there, waiting her to take her time to say whatever she wanted to say, whenever she wanted to, zero pressure.

Annie kept looking at everything but Armin; her eyes wondering a tree on the left, or a stick on the right, or just staring up at the leaves above her head that concealed the starry sky from her, seeking stars between dewy leaves. After she inspected everything around her, the only remaining thing she didn’t look at was him.

She took a deep breath.

“The only thing I wanted was to get back home.” Annie started.

Armin’s eyebrows rose the tiniest bit, he didn’t expect her to say anything like that…. Nah, the guy was clueless, he had no idea what to anticipate.

“I didn’t kill anyone because I wanted to.”

Armin eyebrows furrowed having an idea where this was going.

“I didn’t enjoy it either, I just didn’t care, I mean back then, I didn’t even get myself to care, I was selfish, I just wanted to get done with the mission and go back, I don’t have much years left-”

“Annie.” Armin shuffled closer to her, trying to make her stop.

“I just want to get back to him-”

“Ann-”

“And live a normal life, for a few years, in a home with someone I genuinely care about.”

Armin raised his hand, hovering over her knee for a moment, testing the water, when Annie didn’t kick him, he rested it.

He didn’t squeeze, rub or anything, he merely covered it.

Annie went silent, she didn’t know why she blurted out that to him, or why would she want to tell him, or if he wanted to hear it in the first place, but something was nagging her, like a needle twining at the inward of her skull, that she should get this off her chest or she might shatter and explode.

And they might die tomorrow.

Annie’s eyes looked straight into Armin’s, and she absorbed how blue they looked, they were glittering, their blue hue looked as young as they did when he glared at her from the bottom of the stairs, just a few minutes before she cut herself off this living hell.

And she was fifteen again, looking at him from across the training ground, being tossed over by Bert in hand to hand combat, and when Bert apologized and offered his hand to help Armin up, he would reject it and stand on his own, with a purple, swollen eye he would take his stance again, and wobbly charge at Bert, then he’d faint the moment he hit him, and Eren would be called to get him to the infirmary.

He had always been the weakest, the most fragile of them all, his physics hadn’t much change since he joined the military, but Annie grew up knowing that muscles weren’t a candid scale for strength and never would be, she was like that herself.

But now she looked at someone different, changed from the outside, taller, but not like the others, muscular, but not rugged like the others, handsome, but not like the others.

Because he was who he was, his own person.

And he was different from the others.

That what made him Armin.

And they kept eye contact, memories flashing from their pasts, their eyes held so much, had seen so much, it was unfair; from all the people in this world, why did they have to be the ones to go through this?

Annie was the first to break eye contact; she buried her face into the blanket and said, her voice muffled: “But… I’ve been thinking about it…” Armin kept looking at her “and I know that I’ve committed irredeemable sins, I know that, and I’m aware of it.”

“You don’t have to talk about it.” Armin said, he lifted his hand of her knee and continued: “we’ve all did horrible, horrible stuff to this world, to ourselves, and we’re responsible about them.”

Armin’s words weren’t much help to Annie; she shuffled in her place, her arms rubbing her body under the blanket, huffing out a breath, and listened; it’s not that she expected him to hug her and whisper in her ear that it’s not her fault, and that they were forced to do it, were controlled by others at a time when they couldn’t object and say no, but of course he wouldn’t comfort her like that, he was sensible, the big head, the righteous Armin she was familiar with.

“But what had been done can’t be erased Annie, and I’ve… I sometimes, you know, at night when I can’t sleep, I wonder if I hadn’t joined the training corps from the very beginning, and spent the rest of my life farming or something,” It was Armin’s turn to rant for a bit, even though she had already heard what was he about to say countless times; these sleepless night he spent thinking, he was in the basement, sitting a few feet away from her, thinking out loud “maybe have a family at some point, I don’t know, just what would have happened if I didn’t follow Eren and Mikasa into the military, how things would have turned out?”

“You think you could’ve made a family? You think any girl would have fallen for your scrawny body? Sheesh, sweet dreams alright.”

“Ouch Annie, that hurt…”

“Oh don’t fake _hurt_ , you wouldn’t believe it anyway…”

“Huh?”

“There was a girl you had fallen for a few years back, right? What her name was? Yeah right, Maddie, she worked in the closest bakery to the barracks, didn’t she? And her hair was brown-”

“Alright so first of all I didn’t fall for her,” Armin found his hand in front of his body, defending himself, a victim who was accused of a crime, “she came to me one day saying she had those butterflies in her stomach when she sees me or something…”

The corner of Annie’s lips twitched in a smirk, her trick worked flawlessly fine on him, and she affirmed that he didn’t know yet.

“Wait! You were… you were conscious, all this time, Annie, how, why, oh God” the unforeseen realization swathed him, swept him of his feet, and he slapped his forehead “God, why haven’t I thought of that before….”

“I can black mail you any time, just so you’d know.” Annie threatened.

“Ugh.” Armin grunted, rubbing his forehead; it stung him where he slapped himself.

“Who knew you were that talkative? You didn’t shut up for four years straight, neither did Hitch…” she looked at him, and he was blushing, she thought he looked adorable when he was abashed, “your tales were more fun though, all Hitch did was complain about some guys or work or something.”

“Huh, thanks I guess.”

“I’m glad you talked to me, Armin.” Well that certainly grabbed his attention, he looked at Annie through his fingers, “it got me to know the walls better, I mean what happened from your point of view, it made me… understand things better.”

They sat in silence for a while, neither of them talked, looking at each other from time to time, or just stare at anything surrounding them, each of them lost in their own worlds, which happened to collide at one point; both of them stared at each other for so long it felt like eternity, and that was when they leaned in…

Annie was lost in her thoughts, she didn’t realize she was leaning into Armin, she felt a magnetic energy emitting from him, so strong and clear, drawing her to him, and she was attracted to it, moving towards it. His eyes were half lidded and so were hers.

Armin leaned towards her too, glancing at her lips then back at her eyes, and his heart picked up its pace, it was beating so fast he could feel it banging against his ribcage.

Armin shuffled closer to Annie; their faces were a few inches apart.

And that was when something shouted in Annie’s brain, waking her up from whatever she was trying to do. With a gasp, she started and flinched away from him, and that started Armin too.

“God, I’m sorry, I’m so sorry, Annie I didn’t mean to-”

“Cut it, I was as dumb as you.”

Armin did cut it, he didn’t discuss any further, and he froze in his place, now that he was a little bit closer to her, and he should probably back off, but he didn’t; he was hoping Annie would say something; anything, he didn’t want to get back into that sleeping bag just yet, he didn’t wanna leave with such an awkward goodnight-see-you-tomorrow, besides, he had so much left to say.

He didn’t dare utter a word, it hadn’t been five minutes and he had already messed up twice; first startling her and eating dirt as a reward, second, he tried to kiss her, right there, ‘hey it’s been four years, yes, let’s make out!’

The more he thought about it, the more heat ignited in his cheeks and in the top of his stomach so he buried his face between his knees, his fingers knotting on top of his head ruffling his hair.

“Aren’t you freezing?”

Now that she mentioned it, Armin couldn’t feel the tips of his toes, “Uh, yeah kind of.” He said to his shoes.

When he had raised his head up to look at her, she had already lifted the end of blanket; prompting him to share the blanket with her.

Armin could decline her offer, wish her goodnight, and go to sleep, and everything would be over, but he wanted to sit close to her, to actually feel her flesh heat, not an icy crystal… he wanted it so bad, so he crawled toward the open invitation, and sat beside Annie, covering both of them with the blanket, the warm soothing his muscles.

Shoulder to shoulder, thigh to thigh, they sat there, their breathing mixed, and Armin felt like he could fly.

He couldn’t believe that he was under a blanket with the person he stared at for the past four years, and that she’s legitimately accepting it.

Annie rested her head on Armin’s shoulder, and closed her eyes, she obviously wasn’t going to sleep, but she wanted to reserve this moment of peace before whatever trouble the next day held for them.

Armin tensed when he felt Annie’s head leaning on his shoulder, but peering down at her face that showed serenity made him at ease, tranquil once again, and before he knew it, he ever so gently placed his chin on the top of her head, then he unintentionally sneaked his arm around her waist, and she welcomed it.

Warmth enveloped them, and it was most likely not from the blanket itself.

“Have I told you that you look handsome in that undercut?”

Instead of blushing or panicking, Armin surprised himself when he replied with: “Yeah I know.”

And he earned a marginal chuckle from Annie, a little vibration of her body.

He dramatically gasped and said: “I’m so offended.”

“No I’m not laughing at you.” Annie defended herself, “it’s just funny how all of you had changed, even Connie, that dwarf, look at him, I mean look at how tall he is, and then there’s me.”

“Well you didn’t leave any room for yourself to grow, I mean, was it too compressed inside that crystal?” Armin reasoned, even though he really wasn’t serious at all and wasn’t looking for an answer.

“God, I know, alright?” Annie resented.

“You’re even in the same cloths from years ago, literally-” that earned Armin a not-so-playful nudge at the ribs.

“This shit is nasty, I should’ve asked for a change or something.”

Then they fell silent again, now that they were in each other embrace, they didn’t want to ever forget this moment; they might not get any other chance in the future to be this close to each other.

“Annie…” Armin called out after a while, checking if she had fallen asleep, but she hummed in response.

Armin didn’t feel the words roll off his tongue, “You’re actually a good person.”

Annie huffed and told him to cut the bullshit.

“No, I’m being dead serious.”

“Why would you say that now? Couldn’t find a better moment to ruin?” The last part of that stung Armin, then Annie tried to stand up, but Armin’s arm around her kept her on the ground and wrapped more tightly around her.

“Listen to me, would you?” Armin requested, his voice calm.

“I’ve been listening for the past four years!”

“Well then you wouldn’t mind an extra few minutes, would you?”

Annie didn’t answer, but she bounced her feet on the floor a few times, and that was enough for Armin to continue: “You fought for what you believed was right, you didn’t fight for Marley, nor did you fight against Paradise, all you’ve ever wanted was to get back to your father, your family, and that’s an adequate reason to fight for.”

Annie kept quiet, looking forward, not showing any emotions on her face.

“If I still had my grandfather, I would have fought the whole world to stay by his side to make sure he’s well…” Armin looked up, his eyes chasing the stars, he hadn’t notice that it was a full moon tonight, it gave him warmth, sort of, he didn’t notice when Annie started wondering his face, “I would have done what you’ve done Annie, a soldier motive to fight is complicated, not anyone can understand it, it’s _too personal_.”

Armin thought of Eren, what was he fighting for? Was it actually freedom? What about Mikasa, why is she still fighting until this day? Connie, Sasha, Jean? What was keeping them going forward, advancing with all they’ve got, putting their lives out on the line?

Was it worth it?

Warm fingers grazed his cheeks, turning his head, and when he looked at Annie, her lips were a few inches away from him, and they looked so… _inviting_ , he noticed that her eyes were fixated on his lips, and his heart started racing.

The way the moon light lit her profile, made a halo around her face, her hair looked so silky and soft soft _soft_ , he wanted to run his fingers through it, and he did, only with the tip of his fingers, he caressed the locks that covered part of her face, twirling them at the end before putting them behind her ear, and she leaned the tiniest bit into his hand, rubbed her cheek on the inside of his palm, soft against calloused, just soothing each other in the perfect amount, giving each other the suitable quantity of warmth and care in a time where they both were hungry for some comfort and affection.

Annie’s heart was speeding up, but she felt calm at the same moment, she couldn’t remember a time when she could actually feel comfortable and safe in someone’s embrace without kicking them, she had always been aloof, distant from everyone, this was a whole new experience to her, and she liked it; the coziness she got from Armin’s simple gesture was… _lovely_.

He leaned a little bit towards her, and she was craning her neck up, he glanced at her lips, and she glanced at his eyes.

Armin hesitated for a few seconds when he was so close to her lips, he could just lean in a little bit more and he can kiss her, feel her lips on his, and she shared the same desire as him, both wanting each other. Annie’s eyes were already closed, and Armin pondered her face for a moment longer before his eyes fluttered closed too.

It was a chaste kiss, only a brush that lasted a few seconds long, a sensation new to both of them.

A brush of lips that made shivers travel down Armin’s spine, he had never experienced anything like it before, the rush of heat, the sudden intangible enthusiasm he felt, and he melted, in his mind he picture his body turned all wobbly, rickety before it started dripping until he was nothing but a puddle on the ground. He hopped that Annie felt the same, she must have known how Armin was boiling beside her; he felt his cheeks burning, at any second Annie would startle and draw back, blowing on her fingers.

But she didn’t, because she thought she’d burn Armin’s cheek to a char under her blazing fingers.

Blue moonlight immersed them, and at that moment, clouds covered the sky; securing both of them from prying stars.

When they pulled apart, Annie’s cheeks were dusted with a blush, and with the way she looked at Armin, he most likely looked the same.

Then Armin smiled, a whole heartedly smile, and Annie smiled in return, she even let out a quite chuckle, she felt happy, he did too, the world was ending, but at that moment everything was just perfect.

Annie nuzzled her head closer to Armin and rested it on his shoulder, sighing a content sigh, and closing her eyes, then Armin planted a soft kiss on the crown of her head, he didn’t even hesitate or think about it; he just did it, then he rested his head on top of Annie’s, and closed his eyes.

BONUS:

Mikasa was watching Armin getting up and going after Annie, she knew this was going to happen sooner or later, “The Reunion”, she tried not to get the past events from judging Annie too harsh, however, she still had doubts about her, and rejected the idea of her helping them, but she also trusted Armin, and Armin trusted Annie.

She closed her eyes, even though she knew she couldn’t sleep, she just wanted to get alone with herself, to get some time to think, to ponder the crisis they were in, to ready herself for what was to come the next day.

She didn’t know why she brought the scarf along with them…

Mikasa thought of Eren, 15 years old Eren, with passionate eyes and ruthless demeanor, she replayed memories of them together, the training, and the next few months after Trost battle…

She wondered why did Armin believe Annie wasn’t a bad person? Why would he have faith in her? Not just a faith, a strong one, one you can sniff from miles away.

But then, Armin is a titan shifter, and titan shifters have access to their past holders’ memories, right? If Armin saw Annie through Bert memories, if he saw what the trio had to go through, what their lives were like in Marley, maybe he understood Annie’s actions, Armin was a rational thinker, he must’ve viewed everything objectively…

Mikasa opened her eyes, it was her turn to check on the fire and make sure to add wood to it, but her breath hitched at what she saw; Armin had his lips on Annie’s, he was kissing her. She didn’t see them fully, only Armin’s head and half of Annie’s head mostly covered by a curtain of her hair.

Mikasa turned in her sleeping bag, she wanted to give them privacy, she wasn’t a pervert, stalking others personal moments.

Then the tips of her mouth twitched and she smiled, curling further into the blankets, she was suspicious about Armin’s personal feelings towards Annie, and what happened just confirmed them.

Well, what could she say? The past is in the past, she thought, and if that makes Armin happy, then she would be happy too.

Her mind to travelled to what Eren would have said if he saw Armin and Annie too…

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you all for reading! hope you enjoyed it.
> 
> I must thank that one person who’s just soooo sweet and encouraging
> 
> @madninive
> 
> this girl is the utter meaning of fabulous, like you guys have no idea how much she helps me in writing and giving me ideas and just being great in general, so thank you so much for your consistent support, I appreciate it so much.
> 
> check out her tumblr, her writings and drawing are one of the finest, she’s just fabulous


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